


Walking

by zosimos (trismegistus)



Series: Tobira no Mukou e [19]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist (Anime 2003)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Future, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-11-30
Updated: 2011-11-30
Packaged: 2017-10-26 17:13:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/285842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trismegistus/pseuds/zosimos
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>TnMe: Prompt fic. Nick is grumpy and Mustang's sent them on a mission. What else is new?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Walking

"You have got to be kidding me," Nicholas Elric said as Kobayashi Takeo pulled his boot off and started hitting it against the palm of his hand. "Again, Takeo?"

"I keep getting this stupid ROCK in my boot," Takeo huffed, sitting in the sand beside the railway trestle. He had already stripped down to the collared shirt worn under the military jacket; the blazing heat of the sun overhead had ensured that they were cooking as they trod along the track.

Nick sighed. He too was down to the white collared shirt, although his was soaked through with sweat. He had unbuttoned it halfway, loathe to take it off entirely as that meant removing the shoulder holster that displayed his sidearm so prominently. As it was, he doubted that the two of them would be caught entirely unaware by an attack, given the flat, bright sands that stretched off in every direction. Instead of saying something degrading to his friend, Nick instead shaded his eyes and stared into the distance.

The train that ran this line had mysteriously disappeared between this station and the last one. It wasn't the first time such a thing had happened; this stretch of railway track had gotten quite the reputation as haunted before the report had even crossed his desk.

It was a slow week. They usually did not act unless a State Alchemist was involved in the mischief, but apparently one of the trains that had disappeared was a supply train - and one of the soldiers on board guarding the cargo was a State Alchemist. That was enough of an opening for Mustang to muscle in on the investigation and pass it on to his own people.

Elsie was on vacation - not that she was an official part of the unit, anyway, Nick had never been more scared in his life the day that her mother had come in and read Roy Mustang the riot act about involving her daughter in the same military that took her husband. But she was away, and Talvi had laughed and laughed and laughed when Nick tried to bully her into coming along.

So now conductors refused to run their engines down this twenty-five kilometer stretch and it was up to Nick and Takeo to find out what had happened to the missing trains.

There were no switches on the line - the tracks ran straight from one station to the next. It wasn't unheard of for a train to be robbed and left abandoned .... but then there was still an engine; there were still train cars to be found. Those were not lost without a trace - just empty and abandoned.

Takeo had pulled his boot back on and was settling his foot inside. Nick glanced at his friend - Takeo had always been taller, for most of their teenage years they played this game where Nick caught up to him in height and then Takeo grew a handful of centimeters more. It was frustrating, but Nick had never been one to throw a fit about it. However, the thing that really got him is that now people were asking if he was Mustang's son.

Sure, he had the same dark hair and same slant to his eyes; but he did not look a THING like the general. It was utterly ridiculous to him that people would even assume that - but these were the same people who thought he was his own great-grandfather, so maybe he shouldn't be judging them too harshly.

"What do you think?" Nick asked. The majority of the track was out here, in the desert, and there was no way anyone would make off with an entire train and not be noticed. It was remarkably eerie.

Takeo shaded his eyes like Nick, staring off into the distance where the tracks vanished. "There has got to be *something* going on here," he said. "Trains don't just disappear into thin air."

Nick shifted the bag he had slung over his shoulder. They both carried survival packs in case they had to stay overnight out in the desert - Nick had already stuffed his military jacket inside the dark green pack, but now he was wishing he had a hat of some kind. At least he knew that he would have a hell of a tan.

Takeo climbed up on the tracks themselves and began to walk forward. Nick did not know what they were looking for - just that they were looking for *something*.

The desert surrounded them on all sides. To the north there were mountains looming, and - the glint of something in the distance. Nick squinted at it, trying to make it out. "Hey, Takeo!"

Takeo had gotten a decent distance up the track. Nick pointed northwards. "Do you see that," he called.

He climbed up and over the track and started trotting in the direction of whatever was glinting. He saw Takeo follow his lead, sliding down the incline of the trestle and heading in that direction. The thing that glinted wasn't but a few hundred meters from the trestle, and Nick nearly tripped over it.

"What is it?" Takeo called out as Nick crouched in front of it, brushing sand off of its face.

"A trestle," Nick said, taking a few steps forward. "There are train tracks here, under the sand."

"What?" Takeo stopped behind Nick. "But ... there's no switch from the main line!"

"You don't need a switch when you have an alchemist," Nick said. "I bet they had someone alchemy the train tracks to this trestle, and then set it right again."

Takeo glanced back at the track; frowning. "What do you think this means?"

"This means that you better patch that hole in your damn boot," Nick said, standing up. "We've got a lot of ground to cover before dusk, and there's no telling where these tracks lead."

 

* * *

Prompt #01 of 50: Walking


End file.
